Through the Years
by Penguin Sleepyhead
Summary: "Hannah Abbott and Neville Longbottom get married? Where did that come from?" This is a collection of the moments the two shared while at Hogwarts that lead to their eventual marriage.
1. Herbology Class

It was a particularly windy September morning at Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Neville had only attended the school for a week, yet it hadn't gone as smoothly as he would've liked. In fact it hadn't gone smoothly at all. Before he even arrived, he lost Trevor, his toad. He was clumsy in Charms and especially in Transfiguration. But his worst subject was surely Potions class. Professor Snape berated him constantly during each class, making Neville wish he could just crawl underneath a rock.

But today was off to a good start. Herbology was the very first class this Monday, so Neville's spirits rose. In Herbology, he actually retained information and had no trouble understanding notes or details on plants. And because he was competent at the subject, Professor Sprout had seemed to have taken a liking to Neville. He walked down to the class with his fellow Gryffindors, flanked by Hermione. She was chattering about how excited she was for this lesson; apparently they'd be working with an actual plant instead of taking notes or observing.

Upon entering Greenhouse One, a wave of warmth greeted Neville. It was a welcome change from the bone-chilling winds outside. He closed his eyes for a breath second and inhaled the earthy aroma of the greenhouse. It was a much more friendly atmosphere compared to the dank dungeons where he was criticized by Professor Snape. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about Potions until later that day. The Gryffindors continued to chatter excitedly until the Hufflepuffs arrived and class began.

" Today, we will be repotting Flitterblooms," said Professor Sprout. "Can anyone tell me what they know about Flitterblooms?" Hermione's hand shot into the air, where it quivered slightly, waiting to be called upon. No other students seemed to have any idea what a Flitterbloom was, as they hadn't read the every page of _1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi _as Hermione had done.

"Yes Ms. Granger?"

"Flitterblooms are completely harmless plants resembling the Devil's Snare. There are subtle differences between the two, but they are still often confused. In certain situations, this can lead to deadly consequences," Hermione spouted quickly, as though not wanting to miss a single detail.

"Excellent, Ms. Granger!" said Professor Sprout. "10 Points to Gryffindor! Now I've made quite sure that these are Flitterblooms because, as Ms. Granger has previously stated, there are subtle differences between Flitterblooms and their deadly twin, Devil's Snare. We will be moving these to larger pots, as they have outgrown their current ones," She explained. "I will be partnering you all up randomly-" The class gave a simultaneous groan when she said this. "Now now, it's not that bad! You all could do with making friends with those from other houses!" Several of the students still wore annoyed expressions, including Ron Weasley, who was seated next to Neville.

"Now I have all of your names written on slips of paper, and I'll just draw them from my hat." With this, she swept her hat from her head and deposited a handful of scraps of paper into it. Rummaging around for a moment, she drew out two slips.

"Dean Thomas and…Susan Bones!" The pair rose, gathered their things, and sat at Station One. "Hermione Granger and…Ron Weasley!" Ron's frowned deepened considerably and he reluctantly joined Hermione, who seemed annoyed at the arrangement as well, at Station Two. "Next up, Justin Finch-Fletchy and…Lavender Brown!" Lavender cast Parvati an apologetic look, as Parvati was looking forlorn at the prospect of not being partnered with Lavender, and followed Justin to Station Three. "Hannah Abbott and… Neville Longbottom! And last but not least, Parvati Patil, Harry Potter, and Ernie Macmillan!"

Neville rose and walked nervously to Station Four, joining a small Hufflepuff with her light blond hair in pigtails. She smiled warmly at him, making room for him to take his seat beside her.

"Hello, Neville is it?" she asked.

"Yeah, Neville Longbottom, t-that's it…" he replied timidly.

"Well, hello Neville Longbottom. I'm Hannah Abbott." Her tone was unconditionally friendly and Neville couldn't help returning her warm smile. The knot in his stomach loosened slightly and some of his shyness dissolved. Soon enough, the two of them began emptying their first Flitterbloom's pot to transfer it to the larger one.

"So how is it like, being a Hufflepuff?" Neville asked.

"Oh it's fine, our common room is near the kitchen, so we never get hungry." Hannah saw the look of confusion on Neville's face and explained further. "One of our fourth years, Cedric Diggory, knows how to get into the kitchen and grabs us treats occasionally.

"Oh that's pretty cool. The Gryffindor common room is in the North tower. There is a lot of staircases we need to climb, and they always shift, or disappear. Some have trick steps that, if you step on them, get you stuck until someone comes along to pull you out…" Neville broke off glumly.

"That sounds bothersome, but I'm sure you'll get used to it." Hannah said, attempting to sound encouraging. The pair continued to work, packing the soil onto the Flitterbloom after transferring it.

"What house did you think you were gonna be sorted in?" Hannah asked. Neville considered this for a moment before replying.

"Definitely not Gryffindor. I was hoping not to go into Slytherin because my Gran would disown me if that happened. I'm rubbish at academics, so I knew Ravenclaw was out. I suppose I'm loyal, so I was expecting Hufflepuff," he said.

"I didn't have any idea which house I was going to be sorted into," said Hannah. "To be honest, I thought that they'd have to ship me off to another school because I wasn't right for any house. I'm not brave, or smart, or cunning, or hard-working from what I know." Neville chuckled when he heard that.

"Those were my exact thoughts," he explained. Hannah laughed as well, relieved she wasn't the only one who felt this way.

" But I'm glad I'm in Hufflepuff. I feel like I finally belong somewhere," said Hannah. Neville busied himself with grabbing another Flitterbloom before replying.

"I don't really think I belong in Gryffindor. I'm not brave to any degree…I barely ever stick up for myself…and I'm about the least daring person on earth. Gryffindor is the very last house I expected to be placed in. I think the Sorting Hat malfunctioned or something when it sorted me…" Hannah cast Neville a sympathetic look.

"Well you'll always be welcome in Hufflepuff!" She said good naturedly. "But I'm certain the Sorting Hat didn't just place in Gryffindor without good reason to. I'm sure it's reasoning will become clear soon enough. And I'm sure you'll be a great Gryffindor. You could even make Head Boy!" They both laughed at the ambitious prospect. The pair continued repotting their final Flitterbloom before Professor Sprout dismissed class.

"Well bye then, Neville," Hannah said.

"Bye Hannah!" He said before following the rest of the Gryffindors to the dungeons for Potions. Professor Snape critiqued his Fatigue Fusion, which was supposed to have green tint instead of it's current shade of violent red. The smoke was a pale gray, even though it was meant to be green. Neville must've added the crushed beetle too early. But even Snape's constant criticism couldn't dampen Neville's spirits today. A smile still graced his face as he ascended the stairs leading out of the dungeons after Potions ended. He couldn't stop thinking about his newfound friend from Hufflepuff, Hannah Abbott.


	2. Chamber of Secrets

**~Hey, sorry about the late update. I've been busy latey, but I'll try to upload the next chapter soon. Thank you to anyone who likes this, or whoever is just reading it. I really appreciate it. This chapter is in Neville's second year, it takes place in the second book 'Chamber of Secrets'. Hope you enjoy! ~**

Neville trotted nervously into the library. He'd attended Hogwarts all last year, and yet this was his first visit to the library. He was close with Hermione at the beginning of last year, but he always politely declined her relentless invitations to the library; reading just wasn't his forte.

But after Ms. Norris was found petrified along with an ominous message on Halloween, the whole school all wanted to know about the same thing: The Chamber of Secrets. Neville was determined to learn more about the elusive topic. And so here he was, edging slowly into the now intimidating library. His eyes darted around the room, not sure where to go. It was a large room, with rows upon rows of bookshelves lined with various types of text. From ancient looking texts written in what looked like runes to brand-new looking books with Gilderoy Lockhart's dazzling white smile emblazoned on the cover, it seemed as though this library will surely house a book on the Chamber of Secrets.

Neville took a few uncertain steps towards a shelf labeled 'Modern History', before deciding that the Chamber of Secrets definitely wasn't anything modern. He backed away hurriedly, into a Fourth year Ravenclaw boy, who cast him an annoyed look. Neville muttered an apology before shuffling to the History section. He stood there awkwardly, not sure what to next. The other students bustled around Neville, oblivious to his existence. He was debating whether or not to just sprint out of the library when he heard someone call his name.

"Neville!" Neville swung around only to see Hannah Abbott smiling at him warmly.

"Oh hey, Hannah," he said.

"What are you doing in here? I never see you around the library."

"Well what are you doing in here?" Neville countered. "As far as I know, you're not big on the library."

"Yeah you're right," Hannah said. "I'm only here to find out about the Chamber of Secrets. Everyone is talking about it." Neville relaxed when he heard this.

"No kidding, that's why I'm here," he explained.

"Well then let's go find a book about it," Hannah said. " The only book that I know might mention it is _Hogwarts: A History _By Bathilda Bagshot."

After 15 minutes of scouring the bookshelves, they collapsed into a pair of armchairs, disheartened by the fruitless search.

"What we need is a searching spell," groaned Neville.

"We could ask Madam Pince if she knows where it might be," Hannah suggested.

"No, I think she looks pretty irritated right now," Neville said, gesturing to Madam Pince. A gang of first years gathered around her, no doubt asking about the Chamber.

"All the copies of _Hogwarts: A History _must be checked out then," Hannah sighed.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Neville replied. The two sat in a comfortable silence. "Who do you think did that to Ms. Norris?" Neville asked.

"Honestly?"

"Go on," Neville said in an encouraging tone.

"Well, Harry Potter seemed to be involved somehow. I mean, he was found at the scene and stuff." Hannah said.

Neville considered this for a moment. " Nah," he said. "Harry has gotten me out of a few tough spots, and I know that he would never do something that twisted. Even to Filch."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Hannah said. " Who do you think it is?"

"Draco Malfoy," Neville said without any hesitance.

"Why him?" Hannah asked.

"He's so cruel to Hermione because of her blood status, and he was smirking like an idiot when they found Ms. Norris. He just acts like he knows exactly what is going on with the whole Chamber of Secrets situation."

"Oh, well I doubt it's him either. Like you said about Harry, a 2nd year can't just do something so twisted…"

"Someone older, maybe?" Neville suggested.

"Yeah, that would make sense," She replied. At that moment, someone called out Hannah's name.

"Hannah!" shouted a boy with blonde hair, wearing Hufflepuff robes.

"Oh, that's Ernie," Hannah explained to Neville. "He probably needs help with the Transfiguration homework, he always asks me to assist him with that." She stood up and turned to face Neville. "Well it was nice talking to you again," She said, flashing him a warm smile, which Neville returned.

"Bye Hannah," he said halfheartedly. She turned and joined Ernie, who had been eyeing Neville warily. The two Hufflepuffs left the library, leaving Neville feeling a tad lonely.


End file.
